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British stars Charli XCX, Dave and Raye will headline Reading and Leeds Festival next summer.

Irish rock band Fontaines DC, electronic duo Chase & Status and band Florence + The Machine will also top the bill at both events over the August bank holiday weekend.

It is the first time in 25 years the headliners at the sister festivals are exclusively British and Irish acts, organisers say.

Five-time Brit Award winner Charli XCX’s appearances are her only UK festival shows currently scheduled for next year.

Reading and Leeds bosses said the twin events would be the only UK festival appearances for all six headliners next year.

The West Yorkshire site will also feature a Thursday headline performance for the first time, with rock band Kasabian set to take to the stage.

Irish rap trio Kneecap, pop singer Jade and grime artist Skepta are also on the bill across the weekend, alongside US singers Sombr and Role Model.

Other artists confirmed include up-and-coming singer Skye Newman, Manchester-based DJ Josh Baker, Irish producer Kettama, US rock band Geese, Slovakian singer Adéla and rock band Keo.

Dutch DJ Chris Stussy will play Reading only, with more acts yet to be announced.

Charli XCX has had an impressive couple of years which saw the infectious electro-pop tracks from her culture-shaping album Brat soar up the charts and inspire a trend.

While “brat summer” might be over, Reading and Leeds has said she will usher in a new era when she takes to the stage next summer.

She recently released her new track House, the first song from her upcoming album Wuthering Heights, which will soundtrack Emerald Fennel’s highly anticipated adaptation due to be released next year.

Dave has recently cemented his position as one of the biggest names in UK rap after his third record, The Boy Who Played The Harp, shot to the top of the charts earlier this year.

Its success secured him the title of first British rap artist to debut three albums at number one in the UK’s official chart.

Florence + The Machine, led by singer Florence Welch, also released their first album in three years on Halloween.

Florence told Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw on their podcast she chose the date as it is a “darker album” than she has made before which explores “life and death”.

Meg, who has been going to the festival every year since she was 17, told BBC Newsbeat the line-up feels made for her.

She also thinks the headliners are “very big scale” and is particularly excited to have three females topping the bill – something the festival has previously faced criticism over.

In 2023, festival organiser Melvyn Benn said in an interview it had worked “really hard to get full diversity” on its bill, but argued “there’s just less women available to headline festivals”.

US pop star Chappell Roan and US rapper Travis Scott were among the headliners at the festivals this summer, alongside metal band Bring Me The Horizon and singer-songwriter Hozier.

The events will take place at Reading’s Richfield Avenue and Bramham Park in Leeds between 27 to 30 August, with artists rotating which days they perform on.

Tickets will go on general sale on Thursday, with presales already live.

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